It was 9 AM on the fifth day of the month when the first call came in. Then a second, third, fourth and fifth. Five ladies from the same department contacted the chaplain, informing him they were leaving at lunch, and not coming back to work at the company. This latest compensation adjustment was the straw that broke the camel’s back. None of the employees knew that the others had contacted the chaplain. Each employee acted independently of each other, and yet, all were saying the exact same thing.
The employees were the most tenured in this department. If the company lost these crucial employees, there would be some devastating impacts. They worked in an industry where it takes about six months to learn the terminology, processes and nuances. The lost productivity alone would’ve cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Then add the recruiting, hiring, training cost for new employees, and the potential loss of some key clients that this team related to, and you see the full potential loss associated with this issue.
They all communicated about the compensation adjustments, and most were saying how unresponsive and uncaring the company was. We knew the business owners and management team to be the exact opposite. There was a major disconnect here somewhere, and as it turns out, the department director was deficient in many leadership and management qualities. The senior leadership team was aware of some of those issues, and were already addressing them, but had grossly underestimated how severe the deficiencies were.
It was only the fifth day of the month and the chaplain had just turned in his previous month’s activity report, and this issue simply couldn’t wait for this month’s report, so contacting a senior leader was his only option. Communicating the issue without compromising the ladies’ confidentiality was going to be very challenging, but the chaplain was wise enough to share the issues without disclosing the individuals who had contacted him. The department was large enough that no one ever knew who the specific player or players were, and never would.
Senior leaders reviewed the compensation adjustments, and discovered there had been some mistakes, and quickly fixed that issue, and replaced the department leader as well. It would’ve been a huge financial impact if these employees had just silently left the company. The chaplain was informed later by the CEO, that he had probably saved the company in excess of $500,000! This is one of many stories of how having a corporate chaplain can make a bottom line difference! The players knew and trusted their chaplain, when there seemingly was no one else to turn to. Who do your employees have to turn to when they are at this point of frustration?
This was one issue in one company, that nearly had a devastating effect on the entire organization. Over the past twenty-five years, there have been numerous issues occur, resulting in millions of dollars being saved! This, in addition to all of the warm and fuzzy morale and cultural events that occur every day! Isn’t is time to move beyond compliance only, and genuinely care for your employees? Corporate Care!